A report on Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Canal boats waiting to be unloaded in Georgetown.

Low-angle bird's-eye view of central Washington toward the west and northwest with The Capitol in foreground. The Canal is visible running along the mall.

C&O Canal in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Boat construction yard in Cumberland, MD

Map of Terminus in Cumberland in the mid 1890s. Yellow dots indicate modern highways as well as current (2013) location of Canal basin.

Register of waybills in the Cumberland Office, in 1858. Each canal boat had to have a waybill, even if empty, for passage through the canal. Fines were levied for lack of a waybill.

5 and 10 dollar notes, from C&O Canal company

Great Falls feeder culvert (no longer used) indicated by yellow arrow(14.08 mi), and Lock 18 (R).

An informal overflow. The towpath dips, allowing water to flow over it. Note the boards in the background for people to walk on.

Culvert #30 lets Muddy Branch under the canal

A steamboat on the C&O Canal. Note the steering wheel and the smokestack on this boat

Children tethered to canal boat. This photo was probably taken in one of the Cumberland basins.

Model interior of a C&O Canal freight boat

Recent view of the 9 mile level (between 33 and 34 miles) where the ghosts were reported to haunt.

Monocacy aqueduct in 2011, where the ghost of a robber could allegedly be seen on moonless nights

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland.

- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

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Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

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Historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, in the lower Shenandoah Valley.

Park sign with mileage information for the Appalachian Trail in Harpers Ferry

The Potomac Canal at Harper's Ferry. Note it is seen in two places.

Preserved John Brown's Fort (the engine house) in 2007

Stereoscopic picture of contraband camp at Harpers Ferry, about 1861. Note John Brown's Fort in background.

July 20, 1861 Harper's Weekly news illustration: camel back locomotive and tender wrecked by the rebels in Harpers Ferry

Harpers Ferry in 1865, looking east (downstream); the ruins of the musket factory can be seen in the center

Harpers Ferry and bridge from Maryland Heights, 1872

1903 advertisement for the Dime Museum, showing that Harpers Ferry, easy to reach by rail, was already receiving tourists.

Hilltop House, Harpers Ferry, WV, about 1914

Around Picturesque Harper's Ferry, 1904—a book for tourists.

Footbridge over the Potomac Canal and part of the Potomac River to Island Park, a recreation area built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on Byrne Island, Harpers Ferry, WV

Steam heat, electric light, and fishing guides and bait at short notice. 1903.

National Park Service map of Harper Ferry showing the Appalachian Trail, with (1) being the scene of John Brown's raid

Recreation of a 19th-century gun-making shop

Aerial view, looking east in October 1974.

The junction of US 340 and unsigned US 340 Alternate in Harpers Ferry

B&O RR Columbian at Harpers Ferry in 1949

Mennen's Borated Talcum Toilet Powder advertisement on the cliff face of Maryland Heights opposite Harpers Ferry.

2016 US Mint Harpers Ferry (John Brown's Fort) quarter

The valleys of the rivers made it possible to build the never-completed Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, then the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and shortly after that the Winchester and Potomac Railroad.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

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Located in the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland.

Work on restoring Lock 16 on the canal in 1939

Summer Flooding before and after in 1996

Turtle Run Hiker/Biker campsite, below White's Ferry

Mile marker 0 (behind Thompson's Boat House) at the start of the canal, where it meets the Potomac River. Note the remains of the waste weir in the background.

The Rock Creek Basin, just before the Tidewater Lock

Remains for a Mill Water Intake on the 4 mile level (Georgetown) just below Key Bridge. The canal sold water to several mills.

Remains of stop gate at 2.18 miles on 4 mile level. Only visible when canal is drained

The NPS built this spillway (also on the 4 mile level) in 1936.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hahn, Thomas F. Swiftwater|year=1993|title=Towpath Guide to the C&O Canal: Georgetown Tidelock to Cumberland, Revised Combined Edition|publisher=American Canal and Transportation Center|location=Shepherdstown, WV|isbn=0-933788-66-5}} p. 24</ref> Note the Chain Bridge in background

Historic mile marker 4, just after second spillway

Hydroelectric plant on 4 mile level of Georgetown

Lock 6. Groundbreaking was near this spot

Historic mile marker 9, by Lock 11 (Seven Locks area).

This spot here was called the "Log Wall": builders put a log wall here, filled with rubble, to make the canal. Hurricane Agnes washed it out completely in 1972, and the NPS erected this retaining wall without logs.

Kayak lessons at Widewater (near Anglers Inn, below Lock 15).

Cliff face at the Billy Goat Trail in Maryland

Great Falls Tavern on the C&O canal in Potomac, Maryland

Canal Clipper boat (since retired) at Lock 20

Mile marker 17, with stump of broken historic mile marker on left

Mile marker 22, just before Violette's Lock and the Seneca Feeder

Chisel Branch Hiker/Biker campsite sign.

Canal prism by White's Ferry. Note ruins of abandoned granary on left.

A typical hiker/biker campsite along the Canal. This one is the Marble Quarry Campsite, near mile 38, below Lock 26.

Ruins of an abandoned granary, below the Monocacy Aqueduct

Indian Flats Hiker/Biker campsite, just above the Monocacy Aqueduct

Lock 33 near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

The Patowmack Canal's House Falls canal here was reused for the C&O.

Mowing the grass along the canal, near Guard Lock 3

Big Slackwater. Here the boats navigated in the slackwater behind Dam 4, hence there is only a towpath. It was repaired and reopened in 2012.

More Big Slackwater, above McMahon's Mill.

Lift bridge (abandoned) for Railroad crossing canal.

Cushwa Basin and Visitor Center at Williamsport, Maryland

Conococheague Creek Aqueduct in Williamsport, Maryland

Little Slackwater, above Dam 5. This is one of the most dangerous areas for cyclists, with only a narrow towpath, no guardrail, and a long drop to the river below.

Lockkeeper's shanty, to look out for boats. Lock 50, with Locks 49 and 48 in the background. This is at the Four Locks area.

Park Service maintenance area for the Allegheny Division/Four Locks Subdivision of the Canal

Paw Paw Tunnel near Paw Paw, West Virginia

Division superintendent's house, about half a mile (0.8 km) above Paw Paw Tunnel

Maryland Route 51 crosses the canal about {{convert|0.6|mi|km}} above the tunnel, on the 8 mile level.

Town Creek Aqueduct in Allegany County, Maryland

Looking downstream at Spring Gap; canal towpath and prism to the left, and Spring Gap campground to the right.

Dilapidated canal prism at Spring Gap (to the left of the previous photo)

Lock 75, the last lock on the Canal before Cumberland.

Looking upstream from Lock 75. From here the boaters would hitch all the mules and "make a break for Cumberland".

Canal just above Lock 75 on 9 mile level at mile marker 176.

One of the various culverts (No. 239) on the 9 mile level.

Canal around mile marker 184, looking downstream. Potomac River is on the right side.

Evitts Creek Aqueduct, the final aqueduct on the C&O Canal.

The basin at Cumberland, looking downstream towards Georgetown, {{convert|184.5|mi|km}} away.

Looking at Guard Lock 8 today. Red brick building behind highway is the Canal Place museum and the Western Maryland Railroad Station.

Guard Lock 8, which was actually two locks. Downstream lock is filled in. Upstream lock has a water pump to supply water to the basin.

Mile marker 184.5 at end of canal, with Guard Lock 8 in the background.

The park was established in 1961 as a National Monument by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to preserve the neglected remains of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and many of its original structures.

Paw Paw Tunnel

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Aerial view of Paw Paw area. Tunnel is marked on photo. Note the cliffs on the Maryland (left) side of the river, which presented difficulties for the Canal planners

Looking north through the Paw Paw Tunnel

NPS Survey marker on the wall (towpath side) of the tunnel

Hole or space in brick lining. There are many of these.

This large hole gives an idea how thick the brick lining is. Note survey marker.

Another view of the upstream side of the tunnel

The Paw Paw Tunnel is a 3118 ft canal tunnel on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) in Allegany County, Maryland.

Washington City Canal

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Library of Congress View of the City of Washington in 1792, showing Goose Creek (Tiber Creek) and James Creek (18??).

Boston Public Library Facsimile of manuscript of Peter Charles L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the federal capital city (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1887).

Library of Congress L'Enfant Plan as revised by Andrew Ellicott incorporating the Canal.

The Canal in front of the Capitol Building in construction (1860).

The Canal in front of the Capitol and the US Botanical Gardens.

The Canal in 1863 with the Smithsonian Castle and Armory Square Hospital.

The Washington City Canal operated from 1815 until the mid-1850s in Washington, D.C. The canal connected the Anacostia River, termed the "Eastern Branch" at that time, to Tiber Creek, the Potomac River, and later the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O).

Alexandria Canal Center with reconstructed Tidal Basin and Tidal Lock

Alexandria Canal (Virginia)

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Canal in the United States that connected the city of Alexandria to Georgetown in the District of Columbia.

1878 map of Alexandria County, Virginia (now Arlington County, Virginia), showing the route of the Alexandria Canal (identified as the "Chesapeake and Ohio Canal") southwest of the Potomac River

In 1830, merchants from Alexandria (which at the time was within the jurisdiction of the federal District of Columbia) proposed linking their city to Georgetown to capitalize on the new Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal).

Benjamin Wright

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Proposed route of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Benjamin Wright (October 10, 1770 – August 24, 1842) was an American civil engineer who was chief engineer of the Erie Canal and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

National Mall

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Landscaped park within the National Mall and Memorial Parks, an official unit of the United States National Park System.

National Mall proper and adjacent areas (April 2002). The Mall had a grassy lawn flanked on each side by unpaved paths and rows of American elm trees as its central feature. (Numbers in the image correspond to numbers in the list of landmarks, museums and other features below.)

June 2004 view from the United States Capitol, facing west across the National Mall towards the Washington Monument

Facing east on the National Mall, as viewed near the 1300 block of Jefferson Drive, S.W. in April 2010. Rows of American elm trees line the sides of a path traversing the length of the Mall.

West side of the U.S. Capitol building (September 2013)

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in July 2005, facing east towards the Washington Monument

The view of the Lincoln Memorial from the Reflecting Pool in April 2007.

National World War II Memorial (July 2017)

The west side of the Jefferson Pier in April 2011, with the Washington Monument in the background.

Rows of young American elm trees on the National Mall, looking east from the top of the Washington Monument circa 1942

This view from the top of the Washington Monument shows rows of elm trees lining the Reflecting Pool (November 2014).

Portrait of the Mall and vicinity looking northwest from southeast of the U.S. Capitol circa 1846-1855, showing stables in the foreground, the Washington City Canal behind them, the Capitol on the right and the Smithsonian "Castle", the Washington Monument and the Potomac River in the distant left.

The Lockkeeper's House in 2018, looking northwest

Route of the Washington City Canal, showing the Mall (1851)

The Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle") in February 2007, looking north from the Enid A. Haupt Garden

The National Mall was the centerpiece of the 1902 McMillan Plan. A central open vista traversed the length of the Mall.

Eastward view of the National Mall from the top of the Washington Monument in 1918. The three structures and two chimneys crossing the Mall are temporary World War I buildings A, B and C and parts of their central power plant.

Westward view from the top of the Washington Monument in 1943 or 1944 during World War II. In the foreground, temporary buildings on the Washington Monument grounds house the Navy's Bureau of Ships. The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings stand to the right of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Temporary buildings to the left of the Reflecting Pool house the Navy's Bureau of Supplies and Accounts.

Uncle Beazley on the National Mall between 1980 and 1994

National Park Service map showing the National Mall's designated reserve area referenced in the 2003 Commemorative Works Clarification and Revision Act

Barricade blocking walkway adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during the 2013 federal government shutdown, looking east toward the Washington Monument undergoing repair

Aerial view of the Mall facing west between 1980 and 1999

Looking east from the top of the Washington Monument towards the National Mall and the United States Capitol in December 1999

2007 aerial view of Capitol Hill and the National Mall, facing west

Inlay of L'Enfant Plan in Freedom Plaza, looking northwest in June 2005 from the observation deck in the Old Post Office Building Clock Tower

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (June 2010)

National Christmas Tree (November 28, 2018)

A Christmas tree in front of the Capitol in December of 2013.

Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial at dusk, facing south in October 2011.

1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the National Mall facing east from the Lincoln Memorial

The first inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, facing west from the Capitol

Independence Day fireworks display between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, July 4, 1986

The April 9, 1939, concert by Marian Anderson, facing east from the Lincoln Memorial

Britney Spears performs during the "NFL Kickoff Live from the National Mall Presented by Pepsi Vanilla" concert, September 4, 2003

The Concert for Valor on the National Mall on November 11, 2014, looking west from the United States Capitol grounds

The Smithsonian station on the Washington Metro in 2005

1863 photograph of the National Mall and vicinity during the Civil War, looking west towards the U.S. Botanical Garden, Washington City Canal, Gas Works, railroad tracks, Washington Armory, and Armory Square Hospital buildings. The Smithsonian Institution Building, the uncompleted Washington Monument (behind the Smithsonian's building), and the Potomac River are in the background.

The Victorian landscaping and architecture of the Mall looking east from the top of the Washington Monument, showing the influence of the Downing Plan and Adolph Cluss on the National Mall circa 1904. The Department of Agriculture Building, and above it, "The Castle", are in the foreground. A railroad route leading to a shed attached to the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station (not visible) crosses the Mall behind the Arts and Industry Building, the Army Medical Center, and the Armory.

View looking north of the National Mall with the Treasury Building in the background in April 1865.

View the National Mall with its livestock and the Treasury Building in the background in April 1865.

Looking east from the top of the Washington Monument towards the United States Capitol in the summer of 1901. The Mall exhibited the Victorian-era landscape of winding paths and random plantings that Andrew Jackson Downing designed in the 1850s

The Armory as a hospital during the Civil War

Department of Agriculture Building (circa 1895)

<center>Center Market circa 1875, looking northwest from The Mall</center>

Center Market between 1910 and 1930, looking southwest from 7th Street NW (at left)

Arts and Industries Building, looking southwest (March 2017)

Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station, looking southwest from 6th Street NW (at bottom and left)

Army Medical Museum and Library, looking northeast from Independence Avenue SW

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before reconstruction (April 2010)

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool undergoing reconstruction (June 2011)

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool undergoing reconstruction (December 2011)

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after reconstruction (May 2016)

Axis of National Mall before restoration (July 2012)

Axis of National Mall undergoing restoration (April 2015)

Axis of National Mall undergoing restoration (October 2015)

Axis of National Mall after restoration (September 2016)

Aerial view of National Mall, Looking South

Some consider a lockkeeper's house constructed in 1837 near the western end of the Washington City Canal for an eastward extension of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal to be the oldest building still standing on the National Mall.

Point of Rocks, Maryland

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Unincorporated community and census-designated place in Frederick County, Maryland, United States.

Oblique air photo of Point of Rocks, facing southwest

Historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church, built in 1841 by enslaved men and women of the Duval Plantation and consecrated in 1843. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Point of Rocks railroad station, built by the B&O Railroad in 1873

In the early-19th century, the arrival of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad led to an increase in settlement and industry in the Point of Rocks area.

Completed in 1868, the Seneca stone cutting mill cut the stone for hundreds of buildings in the Baltimore and Washington area before the Seneca quarry closed in 1901

Seneca Quarry

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Historic site located at Seneca, Montgomery County, Maryland.

Polished slab of the red sandstone, about 10.7 cm across

It is located along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal on the north bank of the Potomac River, just west of Seneca Creek.

Aqueduct, with Riley's Lockhouse at upper right.

Seneca Aqueduct

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Seneca Aqueduct — or Aqueduct No. 1 — is a naviduct that carries the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) over Seneca Creek in Montgomery County, Maryland.